Plan Ahead for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, and it's best to be prepared when it comes to these intense storms. To Have on Hand If a hurricane is coming towards your area, you have two options. You can either stay in your house if it is safe to do so, or you can evacuate the area and wait out the storm somewhere else. If you decide to stay, then there are some basic items that you will need. Have three days worth of food and water for each person in your household, along with extra clothes. If you can, get a radio that is either battery-powered or charged using a hand crank in order to stay updated on the situation. In case of the loss of electricity, make sure you have a flashlight with extra batteries. It's smart to have some sleeping bags on hand so that you can sleep somewhere without windows. It's not necessary to have, but you can also have things like books or puzzles in order to pass the time. Make sure you're prepared for any hurricanes that might make their way to your area. Weather Conditions to Watch For Hurricanes are bad themselves, but…

Plan Ahead for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, and it’s best to be prepared when it comes to these intense storms.

To Have on Hand

If a hurricane is coming towards your area, you have two options. You can either stay in your house if it is safe to do so, or you can evacuate the area and wait out the storm somewhere else. If you decide to stay, then there are some basic items that you will need. Have three days worth of food and water for each person in your household, along with extra clothes. If you can, get a radio that is either battery-powered or charged using a hand crank in order to stay updated on the situation. In case of the loss of electricity, make sure you have a flashlight with extra batteries. It’s smart to have some sleeping bags on hand so that you can sleep somewhere without windows. It’s not necessary to have, but you can also have things like books or puzzles in order to pass the time. Make sure you’re prepared for any hurricanes that might make their way to your area.

Weather Conditions to Watch For

Hurricanes are bad themselves, but they also create conditions that can spawn tornadoes and cause flooding in certain areas due to storm surges. Stay alerted to watches and warnings for potentially dangerous flood and tornadoes.

Hurricanes are put into categories on a scale from 1 to 5 based on wind speeds. The categories with their wind speeds are listed below.

Category 1: 74 – 95 mph

Category 2: 96 – 110 mph

Category 3: 111 – 129 mph

Category 4: 130 – 156 mph

Category 5: 157 mph or higher

Evacuation

If you plan on evacuating for a hurricane, be sure you know the evacuation routes. Okaloosa County evacuation routes can be found here, Destin evacuation routes are here, Escambia routes are here, and Santa Rosa routes are here.